Mango Coconut Baked Oatmeal (vegan)

I like eating oatmeal before I go for my weekend long runs. My favorite is plain oatmeal sweetened with a bit of maple syrup. Not very creative but it gets the job done. It does get boring after a while. I’ve tried eating cold cereal instead but it just doesn’t cut it because I often feel hungry an hour later. When I came across a recipe for baked oatmeal, I was intrigued and knew that I had to try it. Time to change things up!

I like using produce that’s in season and one of my favorites is mango. Its sweet and fruity flavor can perk up any dish that it’s added to. And what else goes really well with mango? Coconut of course! The two flavors combine to give this oatmeal a unique tropical twist. It’s a great change from boring brown sugar or plain old maple syrup. Baking the oatmeal also gives the dish a chance to soak in all of the sweetness and flavor from the mango and coconut. My favorite is the coconut oil which gives the oatmeal a rich “creamy” taste without making it heavy. Best of all, if you triple the recipe and bake up a batch on the weekend, you can make enough breakfasts for the rest of the week. They’re portable and easily re-heated. Perfect for those of you who are busy and on the go. What are you waiting for? Go and give this recipe a try. Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite oatmeal toppings?

Mango Coconut Baked Oatmeal
(Yield: 2-1/2 cup ramekins)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats

pinch of salt

1/4 cup mango, cubed

2 tablespoons dried unsweetened coconut flakes

3 tablespoons almond milk or water

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375F.

In a small mixing bowl, add the oats, salt, mango, coconut flakes, almond milk, coconut oil and brown sugar. Mix together until well combined.

Divide oat mixture between two 1/2-cup ramekins and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until firm.

Set your oven to broil and bake the oatmeal for an additional 2-5 minutes to give it a nice golden crust.

Recipe notes: Spray your ramekins with cooking spray if you want to serve them on a plate. Otherwise, they’ll won’t come out. Be sure to watch your oatmeal when you set your oven to broil, they can go from golden brown to burnt very quickly. Any extra mango cubes can be used to top your oatmeal after it comes out of the oven.

Think I’ll be having a version for my breakfast tomorrow before running. I love using porridge as a rice pudding. Chunky homemade jam as a topping. Or controversially I have used it as a risotto rather than arborio. As long as you use a really rich stock and full grains it seems to work well as a side dish.